The challenge

Through their annual learning and development framework, Australian Wool Innovation engaged in discussions with people managers to identify skill gaps within the business and identify areas for improvement.

Skills critical for the success of their projects such as budgeting, planning, risk assessments, and project closure were identified as needing further development. These skill gaps were affecting project efficiency and effectiveness in ways that could be improved with the right approach.

This presented an opportunity for the team to enhance their risk management practices and optimise project outcomes. Moreover, they recognised that by aligning their project completion reports with best practice principles, they would be able to further elevate the quality and success of their projects.

The decision to choose CCE for a training program was influenced by past positive experiences. Participants in previous CCE courses had given outstanding feedback, praising the extensive content and engaging facilitators.

Our solution

To address the identified skill gaps, Australian Wool Innovation embarked on a training program with CCE consisting of three key courses:

1. Critical and Creative Thinking (1-day course)
2. Project Management: Introduction (1-day course)
3. Project Management: Core Skills (2-day course)

The training included a contextualisation meeting before each session to align the content with the organisation's specific needs. All training sessions were conducted face-to-face at CCE facilities, accommodating different numbers of participants per course.

Australian Wool Innovation separated their cohort, offering a dedicated class for beginners and another for those with intermediate experience. This tailored approach ensured that every participant received training that matched their skill level, maximising the impact of the program.

Building on this initial success, CCE facilitators Angela Chellas, Dale White, Dominic Siow and John Le Mesurier later delivered three additional Project Management Introduction courses for Australian Wool Innovation's global offices. These courses were conducted online via Microsoft Teams, reaching participants across five countries in Asia. Each session was delivered over two half days to accommodate different time zones, with sessions including India, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea.

These classes were aimed at experienced Project Managers who had not previously attended formal project management training. The objective was to introduce structured frameworks and methodologies to complement their extensive on-the-job experience and support their professional growth.

One of the unique advantages of partnering with CCE was the ability to access a variety of topics from a single source. This holistic approach allowed them to address multiple skill gaps in a cohesive manner, ensuring that the training program was not only effective but also efficient.

The outcome

The training program delivered tangible and qualitative improvements to Australian Wool Innovation and its employees.

The organisation reported that employees found the methodologies and learnings from the courses to be highly beneficial in their daily roles. Applying the new skills enhanced role efficiency and overall performance. Moreover, gaining these new skills increased employees' confidence in their ability to perform in their roles, positively affecting morale and motivation.

Employees continued to apply the skills and knowledge gained from the training in their daily work, ensuring that the benefits of the program were sustained over time. Feedback from participants highlighted that the courses were easy to grasp and covered essential topics. The use of real-world corporate examples and the energetic delivery by the facilitators were particularly appreciated. The positive impact of the training has led Australian Wool Innovation to consider further collaborations with CCE for future learning and development initiatives.